The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 2 eBook

self, controlling one’s mind, intellect, and
senses, for one’s self is one’s friend
as, indeed, it is one’s own foe. That man,
who hath conquered self by means of self, hath his
self for a friend, for one’s self is ever one’s
friend or foe. Desire and anger, O king, break
through wisdom, just as a large fish breaks through
a net of thin cords. He, who in this world regarding
both religion and profit, seeketh to acquire the means
of success, winneth happiness, possessing all he had
sought. He, who, without subduing his five inner
foes of mental origin, wisheth to vanquish other adversaries,
is, in fact, overpowered by the latter. It is
seen that many evil-minded kings, owing to want of
mastery over their senses, are ruined by acts of their
own, occasioned by the lust of territory. As
fuel that is wet burneth with that which is dry, so
a sinless man is punished equally with the sinful in
consequence of constant association with the latter.
Therefore, friendship with the sinful should be avoided.
He that, from ignorance, faileth to control his five
greedy foes, having five distinct objects, is overwhelmed
by calamities. Guilelessness and simplicity,
purity and contentment, sweetness of speech and self-restraint,
truth and steadiness,—­these are never the
attributes of the wicked. Self-knowledge and steadiness,
patience and devotion to virtue, competence to keep
counsels and charity,—­these,—­O
Bharata, never exist in inferior men. Fools seek
to injure the wise by false reproaches and evil speeches,
The consequence is, that by this they take upon themselves
the sins of the wise, while the latter, freed from
their sins, are forgiven. In malice lieth the
strength of the wicked; in criminal code, the strength
of kings, in attentions of the weak and of women;
and in forgiveness that of the virtuous. To control
speech, O king, is said to be most difficult.
It is not easy to hold a long conversation uttering
words full of meaning and delightful to the hearers.
Well-spoken speech is productive of many beneficial
results; and ill-spoken speech, O king, is the cause
of evils. A forest pierced by arrows, or cut
down by hatchets may again grow, but one’s heart
wounded and censured by ill-spoken words never recovereth.
Weapons, such as arrows, bullets, and bearded darts,
can be easily extracted from the body, but a wordy
dagger plunged deep into the heart is incapable of
being taken out. Wordy arrows are shot from the
mouth; smitten by them one grieveth day and night.
A learned man should not discharge such arrows, for
do they not touch the very vitals of others.
He, to whom the gods ordain defeat, hath his senses
taken away, and it is for this that he stoopeth to
ignoble deeds. When the intellect becometh dim
and destruction is nigh, wrong, looking like right.,
firmly sticketh to the heart. Thou dost not clearly
see it, O bull of the Bharata race, that clouded intellect
hath now possessed thy sons in consequence of their
hostility to the Pandavas. Endued with every auspicious